On Wednesday, I participated in Penn State’s Healthworks Program Tobacco Clean-Up Day. Throughout the day, students participated in cleaning up discarded cigarette butts across campus. On this day, students picked up 14,418 cigarette butts! I don’t know about you, but I find that number to be quite surprising! As a member of the UPUA that supported the Smoke-Free Report, I found this high number to be rather alarming.
Cigarette disposal is of high concern for individuals in a number of capacities. Whether it be environmentalists, safety officers, or health promoters, cigarette waste is not a benefit to communities across the nation. At Penn State specifically, the University spends thousands of dollars each year in the clean-up of tobacco products on campus. This is not only a hindrance to Office of Physical Plant workers, but also takes away funding that could be allocated elsewhere.
Further, tobacco waste is not environmentally-friendly whatsoever. Not only is it not biodegradable, but it is dangerous to wildlife. Small animals such as birds and squirrels frequently consume tobacco waste, which can ultimately harm them. This has been seen time and time again through research projects that dissect animal stomachs post-death.
Cigarette waste should always be disposed of properly. It is always a high concern of Office of Physical Plant workers too due to the dangerous aspects of still-lit cigarettes. Frequently smokers will dispose of their tobacco products that are still burning either in the grass or in outdoor trashcans. These disposal methods can easily lead to fires on campus and have the potential to cause serious hazards. In the end, my time volunteering with Healthworks for the Tobacco Clean-Up Day was extremely eye opening. I encourage every student to keep their eyes open when walking on campus and look for the frequency of cigarette butts littering the ground.
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